Brands are putting celebs to work with lofty title handoutsMarketers at top brands have been granting celebrities including Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, Marc Jacobs and Victoria Beckham such titles as chief creative officer, head of creative design or chief innovator. The deals are an attempt to go beyond the typical endorsement, and they can backfire if there's a falling out or a history with another brand, but analysts say the practice likely has little downside. "Most is hype. But no doubt some people become celebs because they are truly creative people, so why not experiment?" says Pete Favat, chief creative officer at Arnold. Advertising Age (tiered subscription model)
(2/11)

BMW seeks to mimic Apple with young experts at dealershipsBMW is introducing a kind of Genius Bar for cars, mimicking Apple with a "BMW Genius Everywhere" program that seeks to attract the young and hip to the brand by featuring youthful, tech-savvy employees answering questions at dealerships. Cadillac and Lexus have already adopted the approach. The college-age geniuses will be paid a straight salary to relieve them and customers of sales-commission pressure. "We engineer a lot of things into the car that are difficult to explain, that makes us a special brand," says Peter Miles, vice president of operations at BMW of North America. Advertising Age (tiered subscription model)
(2/11)

Super Bowl advertisers got big Web traffic boostSuper Bowl viewers went online to research advertised products, according to an eXelate analysis. Big game advertisers' Web traffic was 23% higher than usual on Super Bowl Sunday, and 46% higher than usual on the following Monday. "These spikes in activity were especially noticeable during the halftime show and blackout," says eXelate Senior Vice President of Analytics Kevin Lyons. MediaPost Communications/Online Media Daily
(2/8)

Interactive

Starbucks has blizzard-related ads at hand for social relevanceStarbucks reacted to the snowstorm in the Northeast with a campaign to get into Facebook and Twitter conservations and feature "snow day" warmth and gift-card specials. Ads featuring an enticing cup of coffee held by sweater-wrapped hands appeared on Facebook Marketplace and in response to Nemo- or blizzard-related hashtags. Starbucks rep Linda Mills says the brand's weather-related ads are an attempt "to stay highly relevant." Adweek
(2/8)

BlackBerry CMO Frank Boulben: It's "all about showing"BlackBerry Chief Marketing Officer Frank Boulben says that a smartphone's browser, multimedia capability and applications supply are "table stakes." In an attempt to merge "the personal and the professional ... the paradigm we've introduced is there is no home button. You flow seamlessly from one thing to another with simple gestures," Boulben says in this interview. The company's marketing strategy is showing, not telling, with an early focus on "face-to-face demonstrations" that has helped to turn sentiment around. Advertising Age (tiered subscription model)
(2/11)

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Top five news stories selected by AAF SmartBrief readers in the past week.

Advertising Hall of Achievement 2013 Call For NominationsThe American Advertising Federation's Advertising Hall of Achievement is the industry's premier award for outstanding advertising professionals age 40 and under. AAF established this program in 1993 as a way to recognize young advertising professionals who are making a significant impact on the industry through their leadership, career achievements and personal qualities, which also inspire others to excel.